Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting 1-2% of the population over 65 years of age. It is estimated that the number of prevalent cases of PD world-wide will double by the year 2030. Currently, there is no cure, early detection mechanism, preventative treatment, or effective way to slow disease progression. The increasing disability caused by the progression of disease burdens the patients, their caregivers as well as society. Classic neuronal pathological features of PD include the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) and the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions known as Lewy bodies. Classical clinical features of PD include resting tremor, bradykinesia and rigidity, but the disease is now know to have wide variety of non-motor features such as autonomic dysfunction and dementia. Although the pattern of neuronal loss in PD is well characterized, the molecular mechanisms that lead to that cell death are still unknown. The majority of PD patients suffer from idiopathic disease with no clear etiology, and approximately 5% of patients present with familial PD.